Safety pin



Aug. 23, 1966 A. cHRoNEs 3,267,541

SAFETY PIN Filed July 17, 1964 INVENTOR ANTHONY CHRONES ATTORNEY UnitedStates Patent O 3,267,541 SAFETY PIN Anthony Chrones, Pawtucket, RJ.,assigner to Reliance Molded Plastics Inc., Woonsocket, RJ., acorporation of Rhode Tfsllanwl Filed July 17, 1364, Ser. No. 383,347 2Claims. (Cl. 24-158) The present invention relates to safety pins andmore particularly to a lock type safety pin.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a safety pinhaving simple and easily operated means for locking the pin in closedposition.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a lock type safetypin in which the locking member is completely sealed so that there is nodanger of opening.

A further `object of the present invention is to provide a lock typesafety pin which is simple in construction and easy and economical tomanufacture and assemble.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view myinvention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosedin the detailed description following in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, and more particularly defined in the appendedclaims.

In `the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a lock type safety pin embodying my presentinvention in closed position.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with the locking hood removed.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. l with the pin in open position.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged section taken on line 4-4 on FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section taken on line 5-5 on FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged section taken on line 6-6 on FIG. l.

The conventional safety pin is usually formed from a length of resilientwire bent to form a loop from which two lirnbs extend and which arespring biased at an angle apart from. each other so that a springtension is required to draw them towards each other. The free end of onearm is provided with a fixed cap having an opening on one or both sidesto receive the end of the other arm which is pointed. The cap forms aguard for the point. This is the usual safety pin. However, in practiceit has been found that the pointed arm often accidently is removed fromthe cap. To this end, lock members have been provided which .are usuallyin the form of sheaths or auxiliarly caps which are slidable upon themain cap and are designed to close off the path of the pin after it isin place so that it cannot be accidently removed. The present inventionis in this type of lock pin. In accordance with the present inventionthe lock hood is in a single piece without openings so that all dangerof accidental removal is completely removed. Furthermore, theconstruction of the present invention is such that the cost ofmanufacture and assembly have been greatly reduced.

Referring more in detail `to the drawings illustrating my invention, thebasic safety pin illustrated therein comprises a coil of spring wire 10extending from each end of the coil to form arms 11 and 12. The arm 12is pointed as shown in FIG. 3. Mounted on the end of the arm 11 is aconventional for-m of safety pin cap 13 which is of generally invertedU-shape with one leg 14 wrapped tightly around the upper end of the arm11 and the other leg 15 forming a U-shaped channel for receiving thepointed arm 12 as shown in FIG. 4. The portion 14 which is wrappedaround the arm 11, is also provided with an integral flat tongue portion16 which extends towards the center of the U-shaped channel porr3,267,541 Patented August 23, 1966 tion 15 to act as a guide and somesafety means as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4.

I now provide a lock hood member 17 made in a generally inverted U-shapein the form of an inverted housing open at the bottom in a straight lineand preferably made of drawn metal so that it is of a single unbrokenpiece without slots or side openings. The member 17 is provided withstraight parallel sides as shown in FIGS. l, 2 and 3 and is designed tofit frictionally tightly over the cap 13 so that it is slidable thereonbut frictionally retained in any given position. Adjacent the lower lefthand corner, viewing FIG. l, the hood 17 is provided with a sharpinwardly extending detent 181 which has a gradual downward angle at thebottom end as can be more readily seen in FIG. 6, and a comparativelysharp upward angle at its upper end.

When the parts are assembled as shown in FIGS. l and 3, with the lockhood 17 mounted slidably over the cap 13, the detent 18 will beardownwardly on the tongue 16 adjacent the portion 14 wrapped around thearm 11. This forms a guide for the sliding movement of the cap upwardlyand downwardly. Now referring rto FIG. 3, the lock hood 17 is pulledupwardly until the detent 18 engages the upper edge of the tongue 16 andthe thickened U-shaped portion of the cap 13. This acts as a stopl andprevents the lock hood from moving upwardly any further. In thisposition, as can be seen in FIG. 3, the pointed portion 12 hassuiiicient room to swing inwardly into the channel portion 15 intolocking position shown in FIG. 2. Now the lock hood 17 is moveddownwardly until the detent 18 snaps by the bottom edge of the tongue 16into the position shown in FIG. 6. This snapping action locks the hood17 into `downward position as shown in FIG. l. In this position there isnow no room nor passageway which will enable the pointed end 12 to bereleased from the cap 13. The pin can therefore not be opened until thehood 17 is pulled upwardly against the frictional action of the detent18 and snapped into the position shown in FIG. 3. The close frictionalrelation of the parts forms a drag which tends to retard the movement ofthe hood on the cap and thus retain the hood in either open or closedposition as desired.

The hooded portion of the present invention can readily be drawn andformed in a single piece and the entire pin is easily assembled. Cost ofmanufacture and assembly have been greatly reduced and the resultant pinis provided with a positive locking action because of the closed nature-of the lock hood. Other advantages of the present invention will bereadily apparent to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A lock safety pin comprising a spring wire bent into a loop havingintegral spring arms extending therefrom, an inverted U-shaped caphaving one leg secured to one of said arms, the other of said arms beingpointed, the other leg of said cap forming a U-shaped channel forreceiving said pointed arm in closed position, an integral at tongueextending from said rst leg toward said channel leg but spaced therefromto form a slot for the passage of said pointed arm, and a lock hoodmounted on said cap, said hood comprising an inverted U-shaped housinghaving a solid unbroken wall portion and open at the bottom, said hoodbeing frictionally slidably mounted on said cap whereby in raisedposition said pointed arm can be moved into and out of engagement withsaid cap, and said hood locking said arm in said cap in lowered positionand means integral with said hood for releasably retaining said hood inraised or lowered position, said retaining means guiding said hoodduring its sliding movement, said retaining means forming a stop toprevent withdrawal of said hood from said cap, said retaining meansengaging the bottom edge of said tongue to releasably lock said hood inlowermost locking Aposition on said cap.

2. A lock safety pin comprising a spring Wire bent into a loop havingintegral spring arms extending therefrom, an inverted U-shaped caphaving one leg bent around and secured to one of said arms, ,the otherof said arms being pointed, the other leg of said cap forming a U-shaped channel for receiving said pointed arm in closed position, anintegral flat tongue extending from said rst leg toward said channel legbut spaced btherefrom to form a slot for the passage of said pointedarm, and a lock hood mounted on said cap, said hood comprising aninverted U-shaped housing having a solid unbroken Wall portion and openat the bottom, said hood being frictionally slidably mounted on said capwhereby in raised position said pointed arm can y.be moved into and outof engagement with said cap, and said hood locking said arm in said capin lowered position and -means integral with said hood for releasablyretaining said hood in raised or lowered position, said means includinga detent in said References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS1,170,508 2/1916 Boye 24-161 1,546,697 7/1925 Young 24-158 2,668,9962/1954 Ku-rnrnli 24-158 2,893,091 7/1959 Mitchell 24-158 OTHERREFERENCES German printed application H 19440, 10/1956.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

D. GRIFFIN, Assistant Examiner.

1. A LOCK SAFETY PIN COMPRISING A SPRING WIRE BENT INTO A LOOP HAVINGINTEGRAL SPRING ARMS EXTENDING THEREFROM, AN INVERTED U-SHAPED CAPHAVING ONE LEG SECURED TO ONE OF SAID ARMS, THE OTHER OF SAID ARMS BEINGPOINTED, THE OTHER LEG OF SAID CAP FORMING A U-SHAPED CHANNEL FORRECEIVING SAID POINTED ARM IN CLOSED POSITION, AN INTEGRAL FLAT TONGUEEXTENDING FROM SAID LEG TOWARD SAID CHANNEL LEG BUT SPACED THEREFROM TOFORM A SLOT FOR THE PASSAGE OF SAID POINTED ARM, AND A LOCK HOOD MOUNTEDON SAID CAP, SAID HOOD COMPRISING AN INVERTED U-SHAPED HOUSING HAVING ASOLID UNBROKEN WALL PORTION AND OPEN AT THE BOTTOM, SAID HOOD BEINGFRICTIONALLY SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID CAP WHEREBY IN RAISED POSITIONSAID POINTED ARM CAN BE MOVED INTO AND OUT OF ENAGEMENT WITH SAID CAP,AND SAID HOOD LOCKING SAID ARM IN SAID CAP IN LOWERED POSITION AND MEANSINTEGRAL WITH SAID HOOD FOR RELEASABLY RETAINING SAID HOOD IN RAISED ORLOWERED POSITION, SAID RETAINING MEANS GUIDING SAID HOOD DURING ITSSLIDING MOVEMENT, SAID RETAINING MEANS FORMING A STOP TO PREVENTWITHDRAWAL OF SAID HOOD FROM SAID CAP, SAID RETAINING MEANS ENGAGING THEBOTTOM EDGE OF SAID TONGUE TO RELEASABLY LOCK SAID HOOD IN LOWERMOSTLOCKING POSITION ON SAID CAP.